Iconic Canadian actor Christopher Plummer has been the toast of the film awards season, winning trophy after trophy for his impish, yet touching performance in the melancholy comedy-drama Beginners, directed by Mike Mills.

The Toronto-born performer, who has in recent years kept busy with roles both on stage (Barrymore, Stratford's Caesar and Cleopatra and The Tempest) and screen (Beginners, The Girl with the Dragon Tattoo, The Last Station), hasn't let being an octogenarian hamper his career.

"I'm busier than ever, working much more than I have in the past," he told CBC News Friday evening in Los Angeles.

"I still do the theatre...and now movie scripts that have come my way over the last 10 years are of much better quality than the ones that used to come my way."

The 82-year-old Plummer earned his first ever Oscar for Beginners, in which he plays an elderly widower who comes out of the closet and embraces his homosexuality. Also, despite illness, he lives life to the fullest and sets an example for his son, portrayed by Ewan McGregor.

Plummer talked to CBC's Eli Glasner about his instant reaction to the Beginners script, how he chooses to face old age and what's been the most important part of this frenzied awards season.